Treating Her Archrival to a Meal to Make Peace

Now was not the time to dwell on the truth.

She needed Shao Enci's cooperation to complete the system task for the afternoon's open class. Lu Xiaoxiao suppressed the turmoil in her heart and set off for the FIT Cross-Information Research Institute laboratory.

The people here were all among the country's top talents in science and engineering, and entry required an access card.

On the laboratory's second floor, three tall, handsome men stood out.

The fashionable Hong Kong-style heartthrob in an orange-and-brown plaid shirt over a white T-shirt, with a silver necklace, was He Jiran. A senior from Tianji Class, he was a year ahead of Shao Enci and Lu Xiaoxiao.

The one in a light gray American-style T-shirt, wearing a relaxed smile, was Xie Yihui, Shao Enci's best buddy at university.

And the most eye-catching person in the group was the young man in the mint-green shirt. His cuffs were casually rolled up, and he had a cool, clean-cut air. Who else but Shao Enci could wear that shirt with the presence of a top male model?

"Let's run the basic test first," He Jiran said, opening the terminal. "Check the insertion and retrieval performance."

Shao Enci didn't answer. His slender fingers flew over the keyboard.

Three minutes later, the test was completed without a hitch.

"Nice," Xie Yihui said, giving him a thumbs-up. "The response speed is even faster than expected."

He Jiran studied the screen, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.

Shao Enci's talent really was beyond reproach.

Just then, a clear voice came from the doorway.

"Shao Enci."

The three men looked up at the same time, gazing at the girl standing in the doorway. A breeze from the hallway lifted her skirt, and the sight of her long, slender, snow-white legs made the eyes of two of the men darken.

Lu Xiaoxiao wore a black plaid academy-style outfit. The fitted top showed off a waist slender enough to encircle with one hand, while the black pleated skirt had a plaid lining hidden inside the hem, made of the same fabric as the top's Peter Pan collar.

It was an outfit as prim as a schoolgirl's, yet on her, it somehow had a seductive edge.

Sitting in front of the computer, Xie Yihui nudged Shao Enci's elbow on his left and teased, "Your future girlfriend is here."

Shao Enci looked away and shot him a cold glance. "Shut up."

But the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

He Jiran was the first to step forward, his voice warm and intimate. "Junior Xiaoxiao, what brings you here?"

Lu Xiaoxiao looked at him, and memories of the past came flooding back.

She had met him in her first year of high school. He had been a senior to her and Shao Enci then, and his abilities had been evenly matched with Shao Enci's.

She remembered that, just after the start of their first year of university, he had become her and Shao Enci's assistant instructor through a twist of fate. During those two weeks of military training, Senior He had secretly tripped Shao Enci up plenty of times for her sake. He had used training as a pretext to punish him with a hundred frog jumps, making her laugh until her stomach hurt.

At a class reunion in her second year, she had never expected the noble and upright Senior He to have feelings for her.

With the help of some liquid courage, he had confessed to her. "Lu Xiaoxiao, I don't want to be your senior anymore. I want to be your boyfriend. Can you give me a chance?"

She had been completely stunned.

She had only ever seen him as a senior, and after turning him down, she had fled home in a panic.

She had thought he would give up, but instead, he had sent her a long string of messages on WeChat, saying he had liked her since his second year of high school. It had scared her so much that she had deleted and blocked his contact on the spot.

The wise never fall into the river of love. That had been her motto in her previous life.

As a result, she had hurt He Jiran deeply, and he had ultimately chosen to go abroad to study.

She really had stayed single in her previous life on the strength of her own abilities, driving the school's two most popular boys away and out of the country.

Now that she had been reborn, she had to make him let go.

"Senior He, I'm here to see Shao Enci."

With that, she walked straight over and stopped in front of Shao Enci.

Xie Yihui's eyes widened, his face full of anticipation for a good show. The smile faded from He Jiran's eyes, and he silently turned back to the screen.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked down at the young man in the chair.

Shao Enci leaned back and raised his eyes to meet hers, their outer corners tilting up slightly. His gaze held curiosity, amusement, and something else she couldn't read.

"Are you free at noon? I'll treat you to a meal."

"A Hongmen Banquet?"

"Come or don't."

Shao Enci stared at her for two seconds, then pushed the keyboard aside and stood up.

Xie Yihui whistled behind him.

Shao Enci ignored him. As he passed Lu Xiaoxiao, he paused briefly.

"Let's go." He looked back at her. "Weren't you going to treat me to a meal?"

Lu Xiaoxiao came back to her senses and followed him.

As she passed He Jiran, she could feel his gaze following her, but she didn't look back.

The two walked out of the FIT building side by side.

Sunlight fell on his shoulders, and the breeze gently lifted his mint-green shirt, revealing the smooth lines of his waist. He exuded a unique charm, with a relaxed, languid bearing. It drew people to him without their realizing it and gave him a free, unrestrained air.

Lu Xiaoxiao looked at his back, and that rainy night from her previous life surfaced in her mind again. The sight of him soaked through, his eyes shattered, stood in stark contrast to the one before her.

She owed him an explanation, but that was a debt from her previous life. How was she supposed to repay it now that she had been reborn?

As her thoughts churned, she called his name without thinking. "Shao Enci."

"Hmm?"

With one hand in his pocket, Shao Enci turned his head at the sound. His deep eyes were languid and casual. "What, do you want me to hold your hand while we walk?"

Lu Xiaoxiao: "..."

Well, there went every last shred of guilt she'd just felt.

A dog really couldn't change its habit of eating shit.